Infinite Monkeys
"...a sparkly blog..." - James Lileks"Read them only with extreme caution."- Hugh Hewitt
Infinite MonkeysEvery year around this time, one always sees a letter in the local newspaper from a God-fearing American sounded the alarm about Halloween. It's a celebration of evil, the Devil's night, and so forth. Well, to our Evangelical friends, I say: Pagans-schmagans! Don't be fooled! Halloween is part of the Vast Papist Conspiracy.
Looks like Kerry is trying to prove he can lose the presidency even faster this time.
Of course, he should say that he wasn't referring to the troops--he was talking about President Bush.
Update: Kerry is trying this excuse, even to the extent of lying (or at least Kos is lying) and saying that what he said was "You end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq." What's great is that there's an ad on the same page that has the accurate "you get stuck in Iraq" line.
Looks like things are getting back to normal in New Orleans.
Nothing dusts off the brain's cobwebs like a strong dose of Eric Voegelin. (Metaphor alert!)
Gene Callahan offers forth this thoughtful critique of those who insist that our senseless and immoral invasion of Iraq was necessary if we are to "win the clash of civilizations."
So Dr. Monkeystein called last night. Long-time readers may remember Monkeystein as the crazed eccentric behind Infinite Monkeys who often tormented Monkey Robb and drove Monkey Brad into a degenerate life of cycling. What most readers don't know is that Monkeystein retired from the blogging business to explore more wholesome pursuits.
Monkeystein sounded as fine as I've ever heard him. He called from his 75,000 square-foot studio in Brooklyn. (He needs the space to help him think and dream.) We spoke of many things for the better part of an hour, before he signed off. Sipping a brandy, Monkeystein ended the conversation thus: "I need to go paint now. Of course, I would much rather photograph strippers. But everyone needs a proper hobby."
Indeed.
Seeing as we now apparently exist for the purpose of aggregating wacky YouTube clips:
I'm proud to call Mystery Science Theater 3000's Michael J. Nelson a fellow Californian, if only because it means I get to enjoy him riffing my local political ads.
By the way, I also want to offically endorse Chuck Poochigian for California's Attorney General. For obvious reasons.
"Now we have rot-free faux pumpkins ... and pumpkin bubble-blowing bottles left over from three years ago. I know, because I can carbon-date the detritus from the graphics."
Yes. Yes, I believe he can.
David Zucker is at it again.
Read the comments at Pajamas Media, by all means. Reckless spending is a bipartisan issue. Heh. And yet the Democrats will rob you blind for no good reason. The Republicans at least will pretend to spend tax dollars wisely.
You mean to say you haven't seen Zucker's Albright ad? Now what's your excuse?
Ladies and gentlemen, the current and future governor of the great state of California...
"The most costly of all follies is to believe passionately in the palpably not true. It is the chief occupation of mankind." -- H.L. Mencken
I would love to recommend Judge Richard Posner's latest book, Not A Suicide Pact, but I haven't read it yet. In fact, I haven't even bought it yet. (To be honest, when my wife gave me a gift card to a large bookselling chain for our wedding anniversary, I passed on Hugh's recommendation and went with Ralph Steadman's latest.) But I very much like Andy McCarthy's review of the Posner book.
I only mention it because I'm sure Robb's head will explode as soon as he reads the piece.
Top 10 most recently purchased albums from the iTunes Music Store
1) "The Jazz Influence: Electronic Jazz Compiled by Kevin Yost," Various
2) "Love Their Country," Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
3) "Oy to the World," The Klezmonauts
4) "Twenty Songs of the Chosen Surfer," Meshugga Beach Party
5) "Then More Than Ever," Blotto
6) "The Best Day Ever," Spongebob Squarepants, et. al.
7) "From This Moment On," Diana Krall
8) "Lucky Number Slevin Soundtrack," J. Ralph
9) "A Matter of Life and Death," Iron Maiden
10) "Modern Times," Bob Dylan
Top 10 most recently purchased songs/albums from eMusic
1) "Twist Party," Los Straitjackets
2) "Rock N Roll America," The Gotohells
3) "Summer Hits No. One," The Queers
4) "100% Live," Prong
5) "I am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass," Yo La Tengo
6) "The Third Man Soundtrack," Gertrud Huber
7) "The Neanderthals In Space," The Neanderthals
8) "Green Album," Skankin Pickle
9) "It Came From Pier 13!" The Bomboras
10) "Chamber Works," Terry Bozzio and the Metropole Orkest
Top 10 most recently played songs on iTunes
1) ''The Road Leads Where Its Led," The Secret Machines
2) "Stand and Deliver," Adam and the Ants
3) "East Bound and Down," Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
4) "Never Say Never," The Cool Balance
5) "Tomorrow Never Comes (Main Title)," Roy Budd
6) "El U.F.O. Cayo," Ry Cooder
7) "I Love You More," Sarah Silverman
8) "I Found a Reason," Cat Power
9) "Nasty Habits," Oingo Boingo!
10) "The Apes of Wrath," The Space Cossacks
Absolutely something. Writes the brilliant Diana West:
Even as we pursue "security," "stabilizing" the Shi'ite-dominated, Shariah-guided Iraqi government—and, thus, creating a natural Iranian (Shi'ite) ally — makes zero strategic sense. But, see here, say supporters of the president's Iraq policy: If we don't secure and stabilize the Shi'ite-dominated, Shariah-guided government in Iraq, that same government falls, America suffers defeat in jihadist eyes, and Shi'ite-Sunni war breaks out in full force. Well, which scenario is better for the U.S. of A? I vote for civil war...
Hmmm. I wonder if Ms. West knows Angelo Codevilla?
(Hat tip: Robert Spencer.)
Michael Barone's blog is a must-read for political junkies, and today's entry is a gem--it breaks down the current shape of the 2008 Presidential race. I particularly loved this almost paranthetical point:
Edwards seems to do better than Kerry in polls now, but it doesn't seem certain to me that his stump speech is going to enchant the press in the '08 cycle as it did in '04. His shtick on how many Americans live in poverty is going to wear thin. His stump speech includes a line about a little girl whose parents couldn't afford a winter coat.Give me a break. You can buy a little girl's winter coat at Wal-Mart for $10. That's the price of taking the little girl out to lunch at McDonald's. As Juan Williams points out in his book Enough: The Phony Leaders, Dead-End Movements, and Culture of Failure That Are Undermining Black America—and What We Can Do About It, no one in America is stuck in poverty if he or she does three things: graduates from high school; gets a job, any job; refrains from having children before getting married. Poverty comes not from any structural failure of society but from dysfunctional behaviors. Edwards's poverty shtick is a crock.
I love this site. I could just hit refresh all day.
At Power Line Rocketman notes the latest in Muslim rage: Ramadan riots in Sweden and Nigeria. Not to mention the ongoing strife in Paris suburbs which is being characterized as a civil war or an occupation.
And Muslim cabbies won't accept passengers with booze or guidedogs (they're "unclean"!?).
Why all the rage I wondered?
Nevermind.
Here's the biggest problem for the GOP: let's say that tomorrow, another sex scandal breaks in the House, this time involving a Democrat--even a Democrat in the leadership. Would this help of hurt the GOP chances in November?
I would argue that it would just hurt them further, especially among the GOP base. There is a feeling that the House has become a den of corruption, full of politicians who care more about power and money than they do about principles. This is one of those difficult to dispel feelings, because it is based on truth.
I remember seeing comic strips in the 1990's portraying Congress they same way they had in the 70's and 80's, with a bunch of big blowhard Tip O'Neil types, and thinking that they seemed out of date since Congress had become full of reformers and zealots (who sometime went to far, really). But now those comics would seem quite modern. It's a shame, and if the GOP loses control of either or both chambers, it will be deserved.
I found Lisa Schmeiser's take on the Food Network phenomenon more interesting than the Bill Buford piece on which she comments, but what do I know? I don't watch Food Network, but I do frequent grocery stores. Monkey David, who knows from food, may have some intelligent commentary to add. As for me, I take my steak medium, my new potatoes roasted, and my spinich out-of-the-bag and e. Coli free.
First, there were the Danish cartoons. Then came some pale imitations. There followed t-shirts, parodies of parodies, and a word from the Vatican by way of Regensberg. So I suppose it was only a matter of time before some wise-ass Marine marketed a bobblehead Mohammad.
Personally, I'm torn. I mean, $22.95 plus shipping? What a rip-off. But then I realized, Glaser safety slugs don't run cheap. If this story is any indication, Jarhead had better stock up.
"No depiction of the prophet, even if it is positive, should be made ever -- and certainly not one as ridiculous as the bobblehead Muhammed," said Zvi Ben-Dor Benite, an assistant professor at New York University. "I don't think it's about freedom of speech. This is the freedom to insult, which he shouldn't be doing."
Indeed. It's going to be a long war.